Trans Am joins SVRA to make racing history at NOLA

When the Trans Am series joins the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) at NOLA Motorsports Park this weekend, the chance for fans to soak up some history won't be just about the stories behind some of the amazing 150 cars on hand. Amy Ruman (LEFT and second page, Chris Clark photos), the current points leader in Trans Am's premier class, TA, has a chance to write some history of her own as the first female driver to win a major auto racing season championship.

For Amy, though, the motivation isn't about breaking barriers, ceilings or whatever. She simply wants what all drivers want – to win.

"I put my helmet on and my job is to win." Ruman asserts. "I am thankful for where I am right now and for the opportunity that my family, team and sponsors that have all made possible."

Born in 1974, the Kent State graduate grew up in a racing family and started competitive driving at the wheel her father's autocross Corvette in 1992 at age 18. Bob Ruman, her father, started his competitive driving career in 1963 with autocross, solo and drag racing. He is a former SCCA Northeast Division GT1 champion. He was a widely respected Trans Am racer during the 1990s, scoring podium finishes.

Amy's mother, Barb, is also a racer. She started at age 21 and was a national Corvette autocross champion. She now helps manage the team behind Amy. Sister Niki races as well in SCCA spec racer Fords but also supports the Trans Am team by managing media relations. Niki's husband, Dave Skinner, is crew chief. Like with many racers the support and involvement of family is essential to Amy's success.

"I am blessed to have such a supportive family," Amy says. "We're a tight-knit group. We race and win together and I couldn't do it without them."

Amy's career has been a story of steady progression through road racing. After earning her stripes in autocross she began wheel-to-wheel competition in SCCA starting in 1995. She raced SCCA spec racer Fords for several seasons, scoring a regional championship in 1999. Such accomplishments earned her and Niki an invite to Lyn St. James' Women's Global GT Series running Don Panoz cars. For Amy it was an honor to get the invite and a great experience.

"Amy is a real delight, one Hell of a racer," says St. James. "She's in it for the long haul. You can't teach passion and she has it. That's what I try to tell people when I coach them – you have to understand the level of commitment, what it takes to meet a goal. Amy has that and she can make history in Trans Am."

Amy continued to advance through the SCCA ranks stepping up to national-level competition and began running her father's Corvette in the GT-1 class. By her Trans Am debut in 2005 her career clearly had a positive trajectory. She continued at the national level with SCCA GT-1 winning numerous races as well as podium finishes, pole positions and track records. She was SCCA Northeast National Points Division Champion for three successive years beginning in 2006.

With the rebirth of Trans Am in 2009 she steadily increased her participation there while continuing her winning ways in SCCA GT-1. After several podium finishes in Trans Am she broke through to score her first win in 2011. From 2012 when she finished second in the series points championship she has been knocking on the door to take the crown. Her efforts were recognized that year when the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) presented her with their "Rising Star" award.

Last year, Ruman was in the hunt for the Trans Am championship until late in the season. She scored impressive victories at New Jersey Motorsports Park, where she led flag to flag, and at Daytona where she became the first woman to win a major auto race at that track without a co-driver.

This year she has put her bright red #23 McNichols Corvette atop the Trans Am standings with a 14-point lead over 2013 SVRA Group 11 National Champion Paul Fix. Amy can't be accused of simply racing for points as she leads all drivers with five victories in nine races. All of this may lead some to ponder what's next for her, but Amy isn't thinking about next steps for now.

"I am thinking in the here and now," Ruman says. "I am focused on one thing and that's winning the Trans Am championship."

Reflecting on sharing the paddock for the fourth of five events this year with SVRA Amy admits she might one day in the future race vintage. She says there are "a lot of cool cars, and I especially like the classic Trans Am." That, though, is only a whimsical possibility far out on the horizon.

The task at hand for Amy Ruman seems to be one of destiny. Because of her family's racing history in sports cars and especially in Trans Am it is the branch of motorsport closest to her heart.

"Sure I would look at other opportunities if they came up, you have to," she says. "But Trans Am is where it's at in my mind. I love its history and I remember my dad's time at places like Long Beach, Detroit, Watkins Glen and Pike's Peak with drivers like Tommy Kendall, Dorsey Schroeder, Paul Gentilozzi and Boris Said. Kendall's driving style in his Allsport Mustang made quite an impression on me."

Now it is Amy Ruman making big impressions on aspiring racers. It just may be that it is her turn to make history as well.